The leaders of the Independent Public Transport Authority Workers Union which represents tens of thousands of bus workers in Cairo were ambushed and seriously injured in an incident at the Public Transport Authority Headquarters in Nasr City, Cairo on 29 February. Adel al-Shazly, the independent union president, Mohammed Abd-al-Sattar, union treasurer and Tareq Mohammed al-Sayyid,…
Calls for civil disobedience and a general strike on 11 February are gaining momentum across Egypt in the wake of the massacre of football supporters in Port Said. The Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions and the Egyptian Democratic Labour Congress, which between them claim a membership of around 2 million workers in affiliated unions…
Demonstrations again filled Egypt’s streets on 27 January 2012, in a show of anger against the ruling military council. Enormous protests on 25 January filled Tahrir Square and cities across Egypt, dominated by chants for the end of military rule. Groups of workers have been prominent in the streets, with dozens of factories announcing before…
One year ago in Tunisia workers were playing a vital role in the protests sweeping the country against the Ben Ali regime. “The trade unions’ role is one of the most striking aspects of the December protests”, wrote the Tunisia expert Christopher Alexander in the magazine Foreign Policy. On the 7th January thousands of lawyers…
Yesterday, the 5th January, marked a new stage in the month long ‘Dignity strike’ in Syria, which has spread to all of Syria’s major cities and involved thousands of workers. The latest phase involves disruption of traffic and the creation of ‘noise disturbances’, with people urged to occupy the streets, bang pots and drums, and…
Shops, markets, schools, transport services and factories were all closed in the first stages of a general strike against the Assad government in Syria. The ‘Dignity Strike’ began on December 12th and activists hope it will intensify up until the end of December, bringing in more groups of workers as well as university students. The…
Translated from a report in Al-Ishtaraki newspaper, 1 October 2011. Original Arabic here Around three thousand workers from the Public Transport Authority blocked Qasr al-Aini street outside the parliament buildings in central cairo today, demanding increases to their wages, a rise of 200% in their incentive pay, and the resignation of Ahmad al-Borai, the Minister…
Independent union leaders representing 45,000 Cairo Public Transport Authority workers appeared to have reached a deal to suspend the week-long strike on 27 September, following negotiations with the Minister of Labour, Ahmad al-Borai, Mona Mostafa, head of the Public Transport Authority and the Governor of Cairo. The agreement set down a timetable for meeting a…
The Public Transport Authority bus workers’ all-out strike entered its second day with growing support from workers. Press reports said that 20 of the city’s 24 garages were open, and around two thousand striking workers rallied outside the Public Transport Authority Headquarters, before marching to the cabinet offices for a protest, alongside striking doctors and…
Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions Press Release – 21 September 2011 All out strike in Public Transport Authority Bus Garages Security services attempt to abort the strike by arresting the leaders of the independent union An all out strike began this morning in the Public Transport Authority Bus Garages after the failure of management…
MENA Solidarity Network 